On August 11th, the Board of Education set out to change Fort Thomas Independent Schools’ policy for maternity leave. Previously, teachers would only be granted up to thirty days of unpaid sick leave after the adoption or birth of a child. However, because of the discussion held at this meeting, maternity leave is set to change for the better. This new policy will become official in September of 2025.
The new policy was pushed forward when the General Assembly created a law that listed a new set of expectations within school districts. Superintendent Brian Robinson explains how this new policy has come to be.
“Our legislature determines how many sick days people can get, and what they can be used for. Basically, it said thirty days absent would not be counted against sick days for mothers who give birth immediately following the child,” Robinson said.
Robinson also details that the new law was a bit difficult to interpret at first. There was confusion surrounding the time frame in which an employee may claim these benefits. The law states that all schools in Kentucky must change their maternity leave policy by the year 2030. Robinson was advised by the board to make these adjustments sooner rather than later. Thus, they began to approach this new rule.
This board policy is known as policy 03.123. The details of the new custom include: an employee may use up to thirty days of paid leave immediately following the birth of a child, and the illness of a newborn shall entitle the employee to sick leave benefits.
This has been put in place to ensure that new mothers have the time to fully recover and connect with their child without worry of making sure they are economically sound and have sick days remaining. This new rule applies solely to the mothers giving birth and will not impact or change the old policy for the adoption of a child. This is definitely beneficial for upcoming mothers
“It is a stressful thought to not have any sick days ready to go if I or my kids have any emergency illnesses or doctor appointments,” Abigail McCoy, algebra teacher, said. “Now, I won’t have to use every single one of my sick days!”
While the policy has definitely been changed for the better, there is always room for improvement. The time directly after giving birth is a crucial period for new mothers, and the added stress of sick leave can be exhausting.
“If all of the logistics behind maternity leave weren’t an issue, I’d love to see teachers have a full 12 weeks of paid leave. It’s such a critical time for both a recovering mother and a newborn baby that shouldn’t be rushed,” McCoy said.
